WORLD CUP STORIES: 1978

🏆Argentina '78 will be remembered for the ticker tape and the passion, the Dutch getting to their second successive final only to find, for the second successive time, they would be losing to the host nation, another lone Scotland appearance on behalf of the home nations (this time much more embarrassing than in 1974) and an exotic, passionate backdrop that seemed as otherworldly as it was apt. This was what World Cups were supposed to be about for a young kid growing up: a new country, new players, exotic things.

Sadly, it was only apt in a footballing sense. The politics that have taken over global sporting events these days were much in focus back in 1978 too, with many baulking at the thought of FIFA putting on its grand show in a country where thousands of dissidents had disappeared under the Videla regime. Pre-tournament reports focussed on the gun-toting guards and rabid-looking police dogs that were part and parcel of the match-going experience down Mendoza way.

Jorge Videla, Argentina's dictator, prepares to deliver the World Cup to Daniel Passarella.

Curiously, the now-iconic World Cup logo had been modelled on an outstretched-arms gesture by Juan Peron, the ex-leader ousted by military coup, but it could not be changed so close to the start of the tournament as it would have led to a spate of expensive law-suits against the military regime headed by Videla.

 

Having turfed out Wales in a hectic game at Anfield, Scotland were once more the only representative from Britain's sceptered isle. Apparently stronger than four years earlier, when they had slid out unbeaten in the first-round groups, the squad contained two vital contributions from City. At 26 and 27 respectively, Willie Donachie and Asa Hartford were at their prime for this World Cup. Despite a wretched start, they would both feature at the pointy end of another brief but generous Scotland donation to football history.  

Hartford played in all three of Scotland's games, so can be said to have had a hand in two of the country's worst-ever results plus one of the most outstanding. Donachie missed the first game against Peru, his left back slot occupied by Stuart Kennedy of Aberdeen. Kennedy's abject showing in the shock 1-3 defeat allowed manager Ally MacCleod to ease the City man back in for the second game, an equally desultory 1-1 draw with Iran. By this time the travelling fans were throwing their tam o'shantas at the team bus and Tony Gubba was working overtime getting all the cringe-inducing interviews in for BBC World Cup Grandstand.  

Hartford and Willie Johnstone take on Peru in Cordoba. The West Brom winger was sent home in disgrace for doping infringements. 

Hartford, tireless in midfield as ever, played through the opening disasters to form the solid midfield bond with Graeme Souness that so nearly put paid for a Dutch side swaggering towards their second consecutive final. One more Scottish goal and the Dutch would have been going home after the dust had settled on the group phase. Initially partnered with Derby's Bruce Rioch and Don Masson of QPR, Hartford's efforts against Peru and Iran were overshadowed by the chaotic preparations of the manager MacLeod, who had allowed everyone to think that Scotland only had to turn up in Argentina to be crowned world champions.

The introduction of Forest tyro Archie Gemmill and, in particular, Liverpool kingpin Souness, transformed the Scottish midfield into something that happily stood up to Johan Neeskens, Wim Jansen and the Van Der Kerkhof twins until Johnny Rep smashed in a thirty-yarder past the flailing Alan Rough (wasn't he always flailing?) to dull the threat.

Donachie comes away from Van der Kerkhof and Jansen in the epic 3-2 win over Holland

Scotland went home but others were planning to stay longer. Kaziu Deyna again graced a Polish midfield, which qualified from an opening group with West Germany, Mexico and Tunisia into a difficult 2nd round group with Brazil, Argentina and Peru. It would be Deyna that missed a critical penalty in the white-hot atmosphere of Mendoza, from which the Poles never really recovered. Argentina, meanwhile, went on to beat the Dutch in the final. It would be Deyna's last World Cup. Less than six months later, he would ship up in Manchester via a convoluted range of agreements that included fridge freezers and television sets from City chairman Peter Swales' Altrincham emporium going in the opposite direction to the Polish skipper.

Ubaldo Fillol dives to smother Kazimierz Deyna's ill-fated penalty in Mendoza: Argentina 2-0 Poland

Deyna would never properly settle at City, despite firing a glorious winner against European champions Forest at Maine Road, and would find himself underused and maltreated in the reserves when Malcolm Allison came back to City. Allison's successor John Bond would then sell him to San Diego Sockers, where he later died in a car crash with excess alcohol found in his blood. It was a tragic demise for a superb technician, who - had he been used properly by City - could have been part of a revival at the club at the turn of the decade instead of a demise.

Having had his penalty saved against Argentina, Deyna would start the following two group games against Peru and Brazil, but a win and a loss in these games meant Poland were out of the World Cup at the second group stage. For Deyna, the 3-1 defeat to the Brazilians would be his 97th and last cap. A matter of months later his ground-breaking move to City would finally go through. 

Elsewhere in the Polish squad the successor to Deyna was also making his first tentative steps on the world stage. Zbigniew Boniek had also come to the attention of City fans before the World Cup, where he debuted as a sub in Poland's sterile first two group stage matches v West Germany (0-0) and Tunisia (1-0). He had arrived at Maine Road as a relatively unknown midfielder for Widzew Lodz as the pivot in the Poles' 2-2 draw in the 1977-78 UEFA Cup match, disturbing one fan so much, he broke onto the pitch and attacked Boniek. This incident was the catalyst for UEFA ordering City to put up fences for future European matches and can be read about in full here.

There were two other high-profile stars at this World Cup who could have worn the sky blue of City. On Malcolm Allison's return in 1979, a huge clear-out of talent had begun. many names were mentioned in dispatches as to who might replace the likes of Dave Watson, Mike Channon, Brian Kidd, Gary Owen and Peter Barnes and two of the most anticipated were Johan Neeskens and Herbert Prohaska. Both would pass through the first round easily with Holland and Austria respectively and would have played against each other in the second-round group game in Cordoba, had the Dutchman not been injured (he returned for the crucial win over Italy). Instead of firing City's soon-to-be-weakened midfield ranks, Neeskens enjoyed great success at Barcelona alongside Johan Cruyff and Prohaska briefly became one of Internazionale's best players of the early 80s and also alighted at Roma for a season. 

On such narrow margins football fates are sealed.